Tag: kathy kuo

Coastal Calm

Nothing sets the mood of a room like color. Cool colors (blues, greens, violet combinations) promote tranquility. Cool colors recede and are great for making a small room look larger. Warm colors (orange, red, yellow combinations) advance projecting a feeling of comfort. Warm colors are used to make a big room feel cozier. When deciding on paint colors and furnishings, consider both the size of the room and the mood that you want to establish. A good tool is to use an inspirational image, either from a magazine, photograph or other source, that evokes an emotion that would like to translate to a room.

To illustrate this concept, I am using a photograph that I took in Key West. I call this image “Taking Flight”. While I love a great variety of design styles, one my favorite is “Coastal”. There is nothing like a beach scene to communicate coastal living. Below the photograph is a mood board for a living room with paint and furnishings influenced by this image. Share your inspiration and related mood board for your next project.